Road crews scramble to keep roads open during storm

It’s a great season for highway crews to make a buck — and then some — but the long hours are starting to take their toll, say road chiefs.

“We get a winter like this, they are making good money, but this time of year they are saying enough of this,” Bristol Highway Superintendent Ron Wilson said about noon on Wednesday, as drifting, blowing snow continued to pile up all across the region.As the six-member crew in Bristol juggled to keep the more than 70 miles of road under their watch cleared, other towns and were dealing with the same challenge.“We are putting the trucks to the test,” said Hopewell Highway Superintendent Matt Curran.

He said members of his five-man crew were taking breaks as often as possible, though clearing the road began early Wednesday morning and without any let-up from the storm, “today they are running straight,” he said.